Friday, May 20, 2011

Parking will be tight this summer on Tulane University campus and the surrounding neighborhoods, because of a drainage improvement project.The section of Newcomb Place from Freret Street to the LBC sidewalk has been closed to parking, until at least July 31, 2011.(This is the parking lot between the main Howard-Tilton Memorial Library building and Jones Hall).A campus map is available here.

This work directly affects only permit holders, but it is important to note that four metered spaces will also be temporarily unavailable for the duration of this project.Several other short-term parking meters may be used elsewhere on campus, such as along Newcomb Circle.

Visitors to campus have several options.Please see Public Safety’s visitor information page, which details the possibility of purchasing a one-day pass at their office on the first floor of the Diboll complex, or using the free shuttle services.Using public transportation would also be a good choice—the Freret Street bus line has a stop at the front of the main library. And the scenic Saint Charles streetcar will stop in front of Gibson Hall, which is a short walk away from the library buildings.

Friday, May 13, 2011

The springtime 1927 flood of the lower Mississippi River is considered the most destructive river flood in the history of the United States. It resulted in lengthy displacement of populations living in Louisiana, including many families of enrolled Tulane University students. Local, state, and national agencies reacted with relief efforts, and there was consideration of future disaster preparedness and also the engineering management of the river. An advertisement proclaiming, "New Orleans is safe!" was published by the L. & N. Railroad to encourage continued tourism to New Orleans after the waters receded from low-lying areas of Louisiana. According to this poster, "The levees of New Orleans protect nearly 500,000 people ... The crest has passed--the city is safe--always has been and always will be."

Manuscripts Collection 517 contains official correspondence, charts, maps, a telegram, a public relations poster, a conference invitation, newspaper clippings and contemporary printed items relating to the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, and the earlier flood of 1922, which were collected by Tulane University president, Dr. A. B. Dinwiddie. Albert Bledsoe Dinwiddie (1871-1935) was president of the University from 1918 to 1935.

To track the current crisis, The Tulane University Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy (DRLA) maintains a Louisiana Flood Map.

Caption: Printed public-relations poster, distributed in 27 newspapers nationally by the L. & N. Railroad in 1927. It was also mailed to “New Orleans’ leading citizens” including Tulane University president, Dr. A. B. Dinwiddie, who compiled these papers, now Manuscripts Collection 517 in the Louisiana Research Collection.